Bloomberg Joins Obama’s Push for High-Speed Rail

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, at Grand Central Terminal for a congressional hearing Thursday about high-speed rail.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg strongly endorsed high-speed rail in the Northeast corridor during a congressional hearing at Grand Central Terminal Thursday, describing it as a boon for both the region and the nation.

Florida Republican Rep. John Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leading Thursday’s hearing, has voiced doubts about whether Amtrak capacity to build a true high-speed rail service — suggesting that private companies might do better.

Bloomberg arrived late to the hearing because he first gave the public an update on the city’s response to the snow storm. When he arrived, the mayor recounted a 2007 visit to Shanghai, where he boarded a magnetic levitation train that travels at 250 miles per hour.

“I had a full cup of coffee and I watched the coffee,” the mayor said. “It didn’t vibrate once. It was really quite amazing. And other countries are trying to do the same thing, create other modes of transportation that are much more efficient, much more rapid and answer the needs in a global world.”

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.